Whangarei Heads easter?
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Diving
Forum Name: Spearo's Corner
Forum Description: Free-divers & spearos chat about their sport
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=52301
Printed Date: 01 Jun 2026 at 6:00am
Topic: Whangarei Heads easter?
Posted By: Branch
Subject: Whangarei Heads easter?
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2010 at 4:00pm
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Heading up that way for Easter and was thinking about going for a dive around smugglers bay & Peach cove, are these spots any good? Whats the water like up there at the moment? I hear theres been a bit of easterly swell, will this stuff up the vis around there? Cheers. |
Replies:
Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2010 at 8:36pm
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If anything, it will improve the visibility once the dust settles, if you know what I mean?
Peach cove is better than smugglers.
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Posted By: JRDO
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2010 at 9:16pm
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Both good, should be sheltered from the swell kinda, just weedline it if there's too much surge for anything else ------------- BANNED from doing anything about anything anymore. |
Posted By: TheSnapperWhisperer
Date Posted: 31 Mar 2010 at 9:23pm
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Pay attention to what depth you start seeing the snapper along there. They seem to be either all in the shallows, or else all out at the 10 m line, but not both. The heads is the only place I've noticed such an obvious trend like that. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/TheSnapperWhisperer |
Posted By: JBH48
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 12:48pm
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Plenty of snaps round Peach Cove, real good country.
i'll be diving up those ways over Easter too, might see you in the water.
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Posted By: Branch
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 1:12pm
| Cheers guys, will keep an eye out tsw. Is it worth taking the boat out or is it easier to just walk to smugglers then swim the coast to peach cove? Is that even possible? Never been round those ways so all new territory for me. |
Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 5:11pm
| Yea the swim from smugglers is possible. Id estimate an hour and a bit to get to it swimming. Make sure you fly a dive flag as its going to be busy in that area over the weekend. |
Posted By: NZTurtle
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 6:17pm
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As Rusky said, it will be busy as a busy thing given the weather forecast so I'd take more than one flag as people tend to be blind,ignorant or stupid... ------------- http://www.legasea.co.nz" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 7:55pm
| I'm not convinced the viz will be that good as the swell is long period from the east and has been up all week. The E swell gets into PC and SB more than a NE swell. It gets pretty cloudy in there with swell but you never know. Watch out for the Urquharts locals... they froth on spearo's. And then there's the GW's that are payed off by the local spearo's. |
Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 9:21pm
Keen to explain a bit more about that?
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Benno wrote:Posted By: Besty.
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 9:42pm
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the swim isnt far from smugglers. if you're keen it wont be that hard. the weedline on the way looks ok but i haven't hit with current running over it. I've only shot snapper on it. I think there is a track that comes down from over near ocean beach to peach but its a hike and a half. |
Posted By: Rusky
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2010 at 9:46pm
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Don't even attempt the walk over peach cove, its a mission.
There is a weedline 3/4 the way towards Peach Cove swimming from smugglers that holds JD's and Kingis sometimes. Needs current like besty suggests.
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Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2010 at 2:09pm
| Rusky - I've been bailed up at Urquharts before and told to leave "their" fish alone. Done the PC walk with weight belt a few times... it's character building. |
Posted By: Branch
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 10:45am
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Launched at Urquharts on friday morning, heaps of boats in the harbour entrance. Went around to smugglers jumped in and vis was pretty s**t, maybe 3 metres. Spent a bit of time on the weedline which looked really promising but didnt find anything, a few snapper were spooked in shallow but the vis made it challenging. Moved up the coast a bit toward peach cove but the sea was a bit rougher around there and the tinny was pretty full so stayed closer to smugglers. Tried to bring in a snapper on a berley but no luck, bumped into a few mama stingrays in the low vis which is always fun. Ended up with a feed of butters and had a few beers on the boat at smugglers to finish off. Not a bad day. Didnt have any problems with the locals at Urquharts. Benno - GWs payed off by local spearos? On sunday had a dive at Whangaumu just south of Tutukaka but the vis was terrible so that didnt last long. Has anyone had some success there before? |
Posted By: cpt kernow
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 12:00pm
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not really, tried a couple of times there and around the corner to grey bay but not much fish till nearer Tutakaka. Crays on the other hand.........? if you have a boat, the waikato is riddled with fish. does anyone know if the no-fishing rule on wrecks is due to the line and nets issue? or are they actually no-take zones? |
Posted By: JBH48
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 12:22pm
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Was that you ollie543 anchored in the tinnie at smugglers with the sweet babes sitting up the front? Nice work.
Had similar fortunes, heaps of butters but not much else and no beef with the locals.
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Posted By: Trigger
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 2:48pm
| Yea i saw a couple of rookies out there on friday looking a little green around the gills. Hope you had more luck with the ladies than you did the kaimoana... |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 4:52pm
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Ollie - GWs = great whites. I was stirring you. Viz is often muddy at Whangaumu because of the Ngunguru estuary chucking out all the farm sediment. With a swell on top, I'm not surprised it was kaka. |
Posted By: Branch
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2010 at 5:24pm
| Yeah got the GW thing Benno, thought there may have been some recent sightings. Trigger was that you I saw in the Parua Bay tavern looking very hungry? Great service in there. |
Posted By: Fizzlesticks
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2010 at 11:06pm
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http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/great-white-cruises-harbour/3912244/ - http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/great-white-cruises-harbour/3912244/
------------- It doesn't have to be fun to be fun |
Posted By: Branch
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 9:58am
| 5.5 meters! Sh*t the bed that's a big shark. Are tiger sharks ever seen whilst diving in NZ? We popped a few butters but didnt have any visits from anything. Although one of the butters had a bite mark on it while it was on the float, Stingray? Was only a small bite. |
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 11:23am
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Ollie, Tiggers pretty much never seen here, they tend to be out deep.
Heard of a fella who was chased out of the water by a 'tiger' at the Poor Knights, in Rikiriko. The same Rikoriko that, for a some time prior, scubies had been taking photos of a semi-resident 7-gill,- a shark that has the same broad nose as a tiger. Coincidence? Hmmmmmmmmmm.........
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Posted By: Branch
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 11:45am
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Good to hear. Herby you going to GB this weekend? How long does the water stay warm for? It seemed to be really warm out there on Friday. Would a sting ray have a go at a butter on a float? Bite mark was probably less that 10cm across. |
Posted By: Benno
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 12:00pm
| Interesting read Fizzlesticks. I hear big sharks are increasingly common around Whangarei, particularly in the harbour, but they'll also frequent the heads and estuaries to the north - something to do with the currents. Might stick to the gulf. |
Posted By: Up2
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2010 at 1:17pm
| Hey Ollie543, Last couple of times diving that area a mate has had a stingray come say hello. Both times he had butters. Second time he was in shallow gutting some when he thought sea weed was brushing against his shoulder. Turned out to be a stingray. Gave him da ****z. |